the japanese government began launching intelligence-gathering satellites in reaction to north korea's missile tests in 1998. with this launch, government officials completed a plan's reconnaisance system. it consisted of two radar satellites and rocket satellites. malfunctioning satellites put them ten years behind schedule. >>> african leaders are discussing measures to restore regional peace in the wake of the algerian hostile crisis. the two-day summit of the african union opened in the capital on sunday. the block consists of 54 nations and territories. at the start of the conference, au commission chairperson zuma spoke about the ongoing conflict between the french military and islamist extremists in mali. >> without the security, no country of religion can expect prosperity. >> reporter: developers say the chaos in mali led to the seizure of agents in algeria in which 47 soldiers died or were unaccounted for. they said the media needs to speed up work to get a commission. he is attending the meeting as an observer. he expressed japan's intentions to strengthen correspondence. th